Lake Windermere
United Kingdom
You won’t be able to miss this one, England’s largest and most visited lake, it rarely fails to impress. Named after a Norse hero, Windermere is the most famous of them all and has had an almost magnetic pull for nearly all visitors to the area for the past 300 years or so. From its rocky inlets, secluded bays, grassy banks and wooded heights, to the northern skyline, indented with volcanic peaks, the southern shore heavily wooded with broadleaf trees, Windermere is what most people imagine the Lake District to look like. Keep listening to your guide and you will hear how it was created, what the Romans did here, the arctic fish who made the lake its home, things about boats and why the local “boggle” stopped the ferry running at night time.
Contents
8 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1Orientation
Welcome to Lake Windermere, the crown jewel of England's Lake District and the largest natural lake in the country. Spanning eleven miles in length and approximately one mile at its widest point, this long, thin ribbon of water…
Listen in the app2Bowness-on-Windermere & St Martin's Church
We start in Bowness-on-Windermere, the lake's busiest tourist center. Just off the main street, you will find the oldest building in town: St Martin's Church. …
Listen in the app3The Hole in't Wall: A Tavern of Legends
Just a short stroll from the church is the oldest pub in Bowness, the charmingly named 'Hole in't Wall.' Opened in 1612 as the New Hall Inn, its current name has a fascinating origin: a previous landlord literally knocked a hole…
Listen in the app4The Arrival of the Railway (1847)
The single most transformative event in Windermere's history was the arrival of the railway in 1847. Before this, the Lake District was a remote and difficult region to reach, visited only by the most intrepid travelers. …
Listen in the app5The Steamers & The 500-Year-Old Ferry
Windermere is a lake intended to be traveled, and the tradition of lake crossings is incredibly ancient. A ferry service has operated across the lake for over 500 years, beginning as simple rowboats and evolving into the modern…
Listen in the app6Beatrix Potter & Hill Top
No visit to Windermere is complete without acknowledging its most famous resident, Beatrix Potter. Born in London, she first visited the Lake District at age 16 and fell deeply in love with the landscape. …
Listen in the app7The Impact of Overtourism & Future Conservation
As we conclude our walk near the Bowness shoreline, it is important to reflect on the challenges facing Windermere today. Because it is the most accessible and popular part of the Lake District, it often bears the brunt of…
Listen in the app8Closing
As our tour of Lake Windermere comes to an end, we hope you have gained a deeper appreciation for the layers of history and culture that define this ribbon of water. From its glacial origins to its modern role as a global tourist…
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What is Lake Windermere?
Lake Windermere is a place in United Kingdom with 8 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Location | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Type | Nature |
| Story sections | 8 |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 54.3213, -2.9480 |
| Last updated |